NREL: Synapse Partner Wins R&D 100 Award

NREL’s DEVAP Air-Conditioner Recognized for Sustainability and Innovative Technology

SEATTLE, WA –An energy efficient technology prototyped by Synapse for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has been named a winner of R&D Magazine’s R&D 100 Award. NREL’s innovative DEVAP air-conditioning system was designed to used 90% less electricity and up to 80% less total energy than traditional units. The new technology is one of the biggest advancements in air-conditioning in over a century, meeting the R&D 100 standard as one of the most technologically significant products introduced to the marketplace in the past year. A full list of this year’s winners is available at www.rdmag.com.

Each year, air conditioning uses approximately 4 out of 41 quadrillion Btu (quads) of the source energy used for electricity production in the United States alone, which results in the release of about 235 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

“Air conditioning technology as we know it today was invented over 100 years ago by Willis Carrier,” Eric Kozubal, a Senior Engineer at NREL said. “NREL’s DEVAP A/C system may be the next leap needed to address our nation’s ever expanding requirements for efficiency and healthy living. Synapse’s team was instrumental in taking the design from the laboratory to a full-scale prototype.”